One of the most difficult things about owning an airplane is finding a place to put it. I’ve been looking in the Bay Area for 6 months and I still only have 2 hot leads and nothing solid. Fortunately I have a place in Paris Texas but that’s only because the hanger came with the plane.

The reason I’m blogging about this is because today I got some really great news. I was expecting to pay for the hanger but it turns out that the previous owner wants it for a plane he’s looking for and is planning to pay the hanger fees between now and then. Meaning… I get a free place to stay for a few months.

I must have done something really great in a past life to get this kind of luck

Hey, slightly off topic but… I just got word from my brother that a friend of ours, Danny Booth, in Iraq heard about the trip and is going to be watching from the base. Cool!

Hey Danno, I hope that Jay and I sharing this trip online gives you guys a little glimpse of home. Stay safe over there man. Send us a picture if you can.

You never really own a J3 Cub, you merely act as it’s steward for a little while. To say that you own a J3 would be like saying you own its history, the unique soul of the plane made from the memories of all those it touched before you. I came to believe this over the weekend as my brother and I inspected the plane that I now steward.

For the most part, J3 Cubs share a similar history. They were first built in 1938 with production ending in 1947. They were used as a trainer in WWII and by the time the war ended 80% of the US military pilots had received their primary training in the J3. There’s a lot more detail and variation, but generally speaking, that’s it in a nutshell.

What makes the J3 Cub special isn’t the history it shares with its brothers and sisters of various generations. What makes this plane special is each and every ones unique history and the impact it’s had on anyone that’s ever had one based on their home field.

The plane that I purchased today is no exception. As we inspected, fixed, and test flew the plane it was amazing to see how many people expressed surprise that this particular Cub was being sold, much less to a guy that was going to take it all the way to California. Actually, I’m pretty sure that if my family wasn’t local I wouldn’t have been allowed to buy it and take it off the field.

I heard story after story about the plane and why people had an emotional attachment to it. Stories like how this was the plane they first learned to fly in or this was the plane “ole Jimmy” used to land on top of moving train cars back in the 50’s. There didn’t seem to be one local that hadn’t flown it or at least flown in it. Also, everyone seemed to have an intimate knowledge of the planes history; who first brought it to the field, what it was used for, who restored it, why and how, and lots of other details. One guy even wanted to know when we were leaving in it because he wanted to get some pictures with the plane before I flew it away. It was like people were saying goodbye to an old friend.

But of all the people that have an attachment to this plane, one person’s is the strongest, Sherman Lee Campbell, the man who sold it to me. This plane belonged to his Father-in-Law from 1950 on. After a hard life of instruction, crop dusting, and air shows it eventually sat in pieces, retired, until it was restored and given to Lee’s wife. In 2000 Lee’s wife became ill and passed away leaving the plane to him. Over the past several years, the plane has been in its hanger; un-flown except for the occasional hop needed to keep all of its joints loosened up and in working order. It must have been a hard decision for Lee to sell his Cub, hard enough that a little extra money in the bank probably doesn’t do much to help soothe the loss.

The video above is a short interview that I had with Lee after we signed all of the paperwork and I officially became it’s new owner, sorry… it’s new steward.

It’s the weekend of May 12th and we are doing the pre-buy inspection of the plane. I’ve been taking a ton of pictures. Below is a picture of the cub. I’ll have the pre-buy photos up soon.

I might as well start documenting the journey and what better place to start than with the purchase of the airplane.

After months of looking I finally found the right plane. Actually all the credit goes to my brother Jay. He found it and with the help of some good friends convinced me that this was a really good deal. Of course, I did a lot of my own research but it helps to have a thumbs up from people you trust. So thanks Jay and Scott for letting me talk your ear off about this plane.

This Friday I’m leaving San Francisco for Dallas to make the inspection and test flight. Assuming all goes well, and I’m sure it will, I’ll trade a few green backs for a beautiful yellow cub.

It’s a 1946 model that has been recently restored from the ground up. The plane and the freshly overhauled motor has logged less than 15 hours.

This will be my 3rd Airplane and my third tail dragger. The first one was a 1938 cub and the second was a 1976 Citabria 7KCAB. Nearly all of my hours are in tail draggers, a fact that I’m actually quite proud of because for some reason I’m just really fond of that wheel configuration. Perhaps I like the nostalgia of it.

Despite my experience I’m a little nervous because I haven’t flown in a couple of years. I’m sure I’ll get over it after a few touch and goes. I haven’t looked forward to a weekend like this in a long long time.

Oh, and by the way. We are going to be shooting the pilot video for the adventure flight this Saturday as well. I’ll have it posted as soon as we get it edited.

I’m Paul Whitaker and I plan to fly a recently restored vintage WWII era aircraft 2200 miles across the United States to it’s new home in Sonoma County just north of San Francisco.

Even by 1940’s standards, the technology in this plane would be considered modest at best and certainly not designed for such a long cross-country trip. With a 150 mile range, the aircraft is constructed of wood and fabric, and has less instruments than a modern day moped. It has a top speed of 75 mph, and can only fly in good weather during the day.

The Airplane is a beautifully restored 1946 model J-3 Cub wearing a brilliant yellow color like no other airplane can. Along with a few friends, I’ll be making the trip in the summer of 2007 and you’re invited to come along for the ride.